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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
While I don’t remember much about Carve the Mark (perhaps a bad sign since I only read it a year ago), I do remember some wonky world building, flat supporting characters, but a serviceable, nearly Romeo and Juliet-esque love affair between two fairly engaging protagonists that kept everything chugging along. The Fates Divide, instead of honing in on the family drama formed in that first novel, decides to throw the entire universe into disarray without realizing that, with only one novel of buildup, we might not care as much as Roth needs us to.
I can’t help thinking that this entire duology was one missed opportunity after another. Ryzek could (and should!) have been a morally grey, engaging antagonist - after all, he’s fighting his sister for control of this country. Instead, he’s given no intriguing character development, and only traded one flat, static antagonist for another. Eijeh has Ryzek living inside of him and is given his own POV in this novel and still adds nothing of value to the plot except for some “We are one person but also two” monologues every one in a while. Sifa is an oracle who has to watch her family get torn apart through visions, but we don’t get much more out of her than “Well, it’s my fate to know these things.” I could go on, but it’s aggravating how much potential all these characters had that never came to fruition. It’s as though Roth assumes we know these people and their motivations well enough that she can let this “save the universe” plot play out and we’ll be engaged, which isn’t the case. Carve the Mark spent so much of its time developing the Akos/Cyra relationship that it didn’t leave room for much else, so all these supporting characters are still fairly uncharted territory for the reader.
I know Roth can write fast-paced action - hell, the Divergent trilogy was one full-speed-ahead sprint to the finish line - but here, she relies on dialogue nearly exclusively to build intrigue and drive the plot forward. However, by widening the scope of the plot and relying less on the two protagonists and more on lackluster supporting characters to move the plot along, nothing felt as important and high-stakes as it wanted to. I found myself realizing early on that I didn’t truly care who won control of Thuvhe, and watching everyone sit around talking battle strategy but not actually doing much made for tedious reading. By the time we actually hit the climax, we’re left with a that’s it? fight scene and then a few paragraphs after the fact detailing all the other (probably more interesting) things happening outside of that.
Was this an offensively bad ending to this duology? Absolutely not. But I think Roth, because she’s had to sit with these characters for years, assumes we care as much about them and their fates as she does, but trying to throw together an impactful “save the world” story in only two novels was a risk that didn’t pay off.
I can’t help thinking that this entire duology was one missed opportunity after another. Ryzek could (and should!) have been a morally grey, engaging antagonist - after all, he’s fighting his sister for control of this country. Instead, he’s given no intriguing character development, and
Spoiler
killing him off in the first couple chapters and replacing him with LazmetI know Roth can write fast-paced action - hell, the Divergent trilogy was one full-speed-ahead sprint to the finish line - but here, she relies on dialogue nearly exclusively to build intrigue and drive the plot forward. However, by widening the scope of the plot and relying less on the two protagonists and more on lackluster supporting characters to move the plot along, nothing felt as important and high-stakes as it wanted to. I found myself realizing early on that I didn’t truly care who won control of Thuvhe, and watching everyone sit around talking battle strategy but not actually doing much made for tedious reading. By the time we actually hit the climax, we’re left with a that’s it? fight scene and then a few paragraphs after the fact detailing all the other (probably more interesting) things happening outside of that.
Was this an offensively bad ending to this duology? Absolutely not. But I think Roth, because she’s had to sit with these characters for years, assumes we care as much about them and their fates as she does, but trying to throw together an impactful “save the world” story in only two novels was a risk that didn’t pay off.
I'm a sucker for wanting to know how it ends, so I downloaded the audio book and spent a few weeks listening to the second book in this series. (I believe it's a duology, so it wrapped up nicely, but definitely left it so there could be more books if Roth or the publishers get in the mood.) Again, it's a decent sci-fi story. The pacing, plot, and characters move, but again, it's no Divergent. There are some interesting elements that kept me engaged enough to finish. Soooo, yeah....there's that.
“I don't want to be the gift someone gets when they've already lost.” -133
I really liked ''Carve the Mark'' and I had big hopes that the second book in this duology will also spellbind me. Unfortunatley, the plot was dull and it lacked fast action. The only appealing things were characters and world-building. Sad dissapointment - this series had had potential to be better than ''Divergent''.
I’m surprised and happy to be giving this book (and it’s predecessor) 5 stars. I went into Carve the Mark expecting not to like it (but ended up LOVING it) and I went into The Fates Divide expecting it not to be as good as CtM (but ended up LOVING it just as much). So really I shouldn’t listen to my head.
I really did love this book though - it’s so original and the world building and character development is amazing. I love all the planets and their different landscapes and climates, and I really felt like I was apart of the characters lives (and felt their PAIN 😩).
I am annoyed at myself for not rereading CtM first as there were a few things I was confused about and I probably missed a few revelations but it didn’t take much away from my experience of the book (and it was my own fault anyway). However, there were two words - I won’t say them because I don’t want to ruin it for others if they start picking up on them too - that were repeated almost every page in some chapters. Editors, please fix this for the sake of my sanity.
Besides that I’m really happy this was a duology as we skipped the moody depressing middle book of most trilogies. I also feel like it was tied up nicely and loved the epilogue ❤️
I really did love this book though - it’s so original and the world building and character development is amazing. I love all the planets and their different landscapes and climates, and I really felt like I was apart of the characters lives (and felt their PAIN 😩).
I am annoyed at myself for not rereading CtM first as there were a few things I was confused about and I probably missed a few revelations but it didn’t take much away from my experience of the book (and it was my own fault anyway). However, there were two words - I won’t say them because I don’t want to ruin it for others if they start picking up on them too - that were repeated almost every page in some chapters. Editors, please fix this for the sake of my sanity.
Besides that I’m really happy this was a duology as we skipped the moody depressing middle book of most trilogies. I also feel like it was tied up nicely and loved the epilogue ❤️
I never write any sort of review for books that I don't finish, but I feel strongly about writing a few words regarding this book.
Carve the Mark is a favorite of mine, and was very special to me. I've mentioned multiple times how moved I was to read a book whose MC suffered from chronic pain, like I do. Cyra became one of my favorite YA heroines.
As you may know (I've brought it up a lot, haha), I do not read books that contain a lot of swearing or other inappropriate content. This is a personal decision that I have made for personal reasons. I know many people disagree, and feel like this is limiting my perspective and not giving me a clear view of reality, but this is my choice. I hope you all can be respectful of that.
I am not saying this to offend anyone who has read this book, or to hate on this book or Veronica (definitely not Veronica; I adore her!). That being said, the amount of language used in this book was completely unnecessary and offensive to me as a reader. I have roughly 100 pages left in this book, but I can't finish it, and that breaks my heart. I'll never know how this story ends. I'll never read what happens to Akos and Cyra. So yes, I am upset. And I felt like this needed to be said, because I know there are people out there who feel the same way as me regarding this, and I don't want them to find themselves here, like me.
Carve the Mark is a favorite of mine, and was very special to me. I've mentioned multiple times how moved I was to read a book whose MC suffered from chronic pain, like I do. Cyra became one of my favorite YA heroines.
As you may know (I've brought it up a lot, haha), I do not read books that contain a lot of swearing or other inappropriate content. This is a personal decision that I have made for personal reasons. I know many people disagree, and feel like this is limiting my perspective and not giving me a clear view of reality, but this is my choice. I hope you all can be respectful of that.
I am not saying this to offend anyone who has read this book, or to hate on this book or Veronica (definitely not Veronica; I adore her!). That being said, the amount of language used in this book was completely unnecessary and offensive to me as a reader. I have roughly 100 pages left in this book, but I can't finish it, and that breaks my heart. I'll never know how this story ends. I'll never read what happens to Akos and Cyra. So yes, I am upset. And I felt like this needed to be said, because I know there are people out there who feel the same way as me regarding this, and I don't want them to find themselves here, like me.
Fans of the Divergent series...
...beware.
While the plot and nuances of this story are good. It's no follow up to the series that spawned the movies.
One of the things that I loved about the Divergent series (perhaps you did, too) was the fantastic character drawing, and the journey we went on with Tris and Four and their compatriots as they attempted to un-distopian their society.
The characters in the Carve the Mark series... they just feel muddy - shifting, changing points of view, thoughts and motives just add an unwanted layer to this already complex world.
Veronica Roth seems to have clued into this... tying in an additional Divergent story into the Carve the Mark TP release, and concluding the series after just two installments.
What I did like: Its got some grade-A scifi plot devices - alternate galaxy, strange universe-imbued mutant-like powers, and interesting connected worlds with their own flavor.
I just would have liked to see a little more time constructing a solid story- and character-arc to supplement the ideas of the world.
...beware.
While the plot and nuances of this story are good. It's no follow up to the series that spawned the movies.
One of the things that I loved about the Divergent series (perhaps you did, too) was the fantastic character drawing, and the journey we went on with Tris and Four and their compatriots as they attempted to un-distopian their society.
The characters in the Carve the Mark series... they just feel muddy - shifting, changing points of view, thoughts and motives just add an unwanted layer to this already complex world.
Veronica Roth seems to have clued into this... tying in an additional Divergent story into the Carve the Mark TP release, and concluding the series after just two installments.
What I did like: Its got some grade-A scifi plot devices - alternate galaxy, strange universe-imbued mutant-like powers, and interesting connected worlds with their own flavor.
I just would have liked to see a little more time constructing a solid story- and character-arc to supplement the ideas of the world.
Interesting and unique plot line so i finished it just for that, but some plot aspects (like main character decisions) just didn't make logical sense to me
Veronica Roth makes me skeptical to try her books after the train wreck that I found Allegiant to be. However, I picked up Carve the Mark in a thrift store and read it in January, and found myself enjoying the world and the characters created in the pages. After discovering this one in a library, I decided to give it a shot and see if Roth just has a tendency to ruin the ends of her series. She does not. The Fates Divide was much better than the first one, and what lacked in development was made up for in a face paced game of chess. This duology was planned to be just that, and it did not disappoint. Between the shifting dynamics of the characters, as well as the introduction of chapters from new perspectives, this whole story kept me captivated from first to last page. There’s no hesitancy in picking up where the story left off, and the pace of the action doesn’t relent, making the book hard to set down. Although I will say, Akos was my favourite character in the last book, Cyra was my favourite in this one. The tell tale personality traits that made their dynamic perfect as it was were shaken in this book (as is rightfully so) after the concluding events of Carve the Mark, and although the development lost little pieces I adored previously, the change was necessary and realistic to reflect how trauma and grief and depression can impact people who have grown up with inverse relationships to it. However, I do have to say that Akos’ moping become bearable and annoying after a short while, and I found myself turning away from a character I previously adored because although his reaction was warranted, it did not mean that said reaction needed to be rubbed in my face in the form of self loathing and immature decisions. The ending was good, albeit made loose and a little too mellow for the style of the book, but overall, it was one I enjoyed. From political maneuvering, to soft romance hidden in the words of a prophecy, to unique quotes on faith and grief from characters I didn’t expect to be quite so insightful that made the book beautiful in a way that left me turning each page eager for more :)